


An Alternative History

by Scarshavestories



Series: An Alternative Life [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Awkwardness, Embarrassing Families, Family History, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Getting Together, Harry Potter Next Generation, M/M, Middle child syndrome, Storytelling, history nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 19:44:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19180147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarshavestories/pseuds/Scarshavestories
Summary: Albus’ family take him to visit a stately home, where he happens upon a beautiful dorky boy named Scorpius, who is determined to make him love the history surrounding the Malfoy Manor.





	An Alternative History

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BookofSpells](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookofSpells/gifts).



> Massive thank you to @BookOfSpells for being an absolutely amazing beta on this fic, it is about 3000% better with all the changes she suggested!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Albus Severus Potter was not happy. No, instead, he was bored out of his mind, and incredibly annoyed with his parents, his siblings, and his life.

 

He had known he was in for a terrible day as soon as the words ‘family day out’ were uttered, and his dread had only increased once he’d realised the ‘fun’ trip was to some dull, ancient, stately home. 

 

It was all Lily’s fault. If his stupid little sister hadn’t been weirdly enthusiastic about her school history project, their parents wouldn’t have made them come to see the house where apparently some old dead dude once lived. She was being insufferable; her enthusiasm and general happiness was only fuelling Albus’ irritation. 

 

Of course,  _ James _ hadn’t been forced to come. James hadn’t been guilt tripped by their father’s ‘I just want you to have the experiences I never had in my poor, lonely, neglectful childhood’ routine, because James was a football prodigy who needed to practice, and in their family, football was sacred and held priority over everything else. 

 

Albus hated football; he hated that it was all his family talked about, he hated the ridiculous fuss they made about people who did nothing more than run around kicking a ball, and he especially hated all the strangers who came up to his Mum to gush over how she used to play for England and tell her how much they liked her commentating on the TV. 

 

Scowling, Albus dragged his feet after his family, who were chattering away about going to see the ballroom – as if it wouldn’t be just as mind numbing as the kitchens, the stables, and the servants quarters had been. Albus caught up with them just in time to hear Lily actually squeal. 

 

“This piano is over 200 years old! Can you believe that?”

 

“Is it really?”

 

“Lily-Petal, have you seen this? It says it still works!”

 

“Are you serious, Dad? That’s incredible!...”

 

Albus tuned their conversation out and wandered further into the extravagant room, silently brooding over the unfairness that was his family forcing football and history onto him. So bloody what if the piano was 200 years old? Of course, perfect little Lily-Petal thought it was ‘incredible’ that the piano still played music, as if it wouldn’t be a total waste of space otherwise. 

 

With nothing better to do, Albus looked around at the ostentatious, gold gilded walls, complete with massive paintings of previous residents. James would probably love a picture of him that big, but Albus was horrified by the blatant display of narcissism. Paint made people look so strange, all oddly coloured and forlorn, although Albus did concede that he too would look miserable if forced to wear such hideous clothing. 

 

He had turned his head up to look at the strange depictions of naked babies and fruit that were inexplicably painted onto the ceiling, when a voice beside him drew his attention. 

 

“It’s seventeenth century.”

 

A blonde boy, who looked about Albus’ age, had spoken with a refined, posh accent that Albus should have found annoying, but instead couldn’t help but kind of like. This boy didn’t seem to have the arrogant, private school swagger that normally made his skin crawl and his blood boil; instead he was looking at Albus with an expression that almost seemed hopeful. 

 

“What?”

 

“The ceiling, it dates back to the seventeenth century.”

 

“Right…”

 

At Albus’ obvious lack of enthusiasm, the boy’s shoulders fell from where they had been hunched up, and the hopeful expression was replaced by one of outright disappointment, making the grey of his eyes look like a miserable cloudy day, where before they had been glinting a mesmerising silver. As he turned to walk away, Albus found himself desperate to make him stay. 

 

“I’m sorry, it’s not personal. I’m just not that into history. It all seems so dull to me.”

 

“Dull?  _ Dull? _ History isn’t dull! History is amazing!”

 

It was as if a switch had been flicked and the boy lit up, his whole body becoming animated as he threw his arms up in indignation at Albus’ words. 

 

“Really though? Isn’t it all just like, this thing happened, then this did, and blah blah blah.”

 

“No! Well, actually yes, but the things are exciting! And, wait, what’s your name?”

 

“...Albus.”

 

“Hi Albus, I’m Scorpius! Anyway, as I was saying, Albus, isn’t all of life just one thing after another?”

 

Scorpius was looking at him with such earnest excitement that Albus found it impossible to use his usual snarl-and-give-a-monosyllabic-response-to-make-them-go-away technique. 

 

“I guess? I still don’t see how a bunch of old stuff could be exciting though. It has absolutely no bearing on reality now. I couldn't care less about the random people who lived in this house.”

 

Scorpius’ eyes widened, but then his face broke into a smile, and Albus felt his pulse quicken. He was beginning to suspect that the delightful dork may secretly be an angel sent to make him less grumpy or something, because there was no way an actual person could possibly be that beautiful. 

 

“Well, Albus, if you really believe that, then I’m just going to have to change your mind!”

 

Albus couldn’t help but roll his eyes. There was no way Scorpius could make him like history, but he was so happy and vibrant about the prospect. Besides, Albus was pretty sure he could talk about sewers and he’d still love listening to that crisp, clipped accent. 

 

“We’re in the ballroom right now, so I’m going to tell you a story that took place right here in this room! Are you sit- erm, I mean, are you standing comfortably?”

 

Albus nodded, fearing that a laugh would bubble out if he opened his mouth. 

 

“Splendid! Then I’ll begin! The seventh Lord and Lady of Malfoy Manor had just one son and heir, Draco. The title passes down from generation to generation and this family had kept their bloodline what they called ‘pure’ since before anyone could remember. They only married aristocracy, there was no plebeian blood in their family, and they despised the peasantry. So, they find a suitable bride for their son, a duchess with land and power, and arrange for the marriage to take place in this very room.”

Scorpius gestured around them, but Albus’ focus didn’t stray from the boy himself. 

 

“The day of the wedding arrives, and Draco is dressed in the most exquisitely tailored suit, ready to meet his beautiful fiancée. The altar is set up just there, and Draco looks out past row upon row of seated guests to see his future wife. And then, she appears, and their eyes meet. He recognises her. They had crossed paths as teenagers, and let me tell you, it was not a pleasant exchange. She had called Draco all manner of names after he refused her advances. He’d told her he was trying to find a wife whom he loved, not one his parents had chosen, but that he had a deadline to find a woman of the required status before his parents found one for him. As she advances down the aisle in a white dress, he sees an evil glint in her eye and he just  _ knows _ . He knows that she has, with the power of both wealth and status, somehow managed to scare away all other potential wives for Draco, so that he would be forced to marry her, in the end.”

 

By this point, Scorpius’ story had captured Albus’ attention, not least because of the dramatic way he was retelling it. 

 

“That’s awful, what a horrible woman.”

 

“Oh, there’s more! That was just the start!”

 

Scorpius was almost gleeful, his conviction in the story was so high. 

 

“Draco scowls - at this point, the music is still accompanying her slow walk towards him. She sees his expression and smirks so smugly that he cannot take it anymore, and guess what happens next?”

 

“I don’t know, does he not marry the bitch?”

 

“Albus, you can’t call a woman that!”

 

“Seriously? Even though she sounds evil?”

 

“Well, no, but yes, she definitely was! Anyway, you’re right, he doesn’t marry her, but it’s more exciting than that!”

 

Albus suddenly noticed that other visitors had begun to stop and listen to Scorpius theatrically recounting this apparently historical tale. He couldn’t blame them, the more he watched and listened, the more enraptured with this bizarre blonde boy he felt himself become. His enthusiasm was infectious, and he kept giving these adorable little squeaky half laughs, which just made Albus want to smile and take him into his arms and never let go. He was unable to stop the grin from breaking out across his face as Scorpius continued to tell the story and make exaggerated hand motions. 

 

“In that moment, Draco is faced with a complicated dilemma. There is absolutely no way he is going to marry this scheming,  _ witch _ of a woman-”

Scorpius raised his eyebrows significantly when he said witch, but he was clearly fighting a smile, which undermined his attempts to chide Albus by making him look ridiculously adorable. 

 

“But he’s a decent man, bound by honour and moral fibre, and they’re literally being watched by everyone they know. So, rather than storming out and subjecting his family to humiliation and wagging jaws, he waits for her to make it all the way up the aisle. As soon as she reaches him, her face twisted in a triumphant, satisfied smirk, he takes her hand in his own, and under the guise of a chaste kiss to the cheek, Draco leans in to whisper in her ear...”

 

Scorpius himself leant closer to Albus, his voice taking on an exaggerated stage-whisper. 

 

“...‘I don’t know how, or why you’ve manipulated my family into thinking this union is the only option, but I do not take kindly to being played, and if you think I’m going to marry you, you are  _ painfully _ mistaken.’”

 

Albus tried desperately to focus on the story and appear unaffected by their proximity, but it was difficult when Scorpius was right there, talking in hushed tones that sent shivers down his spine. It was almost a relief when Scorpius sprung away again and resumed the excited, full volume delivery of the history. 

 

“She’s so startled by his words, that she doesn’t notice him slipping the engagement ring off her finger! It was a Malfoy family heirloom, you see, and Draco couldn’t stand the idea of her keeping it.”

 

“I bet she took that well.”

 

Scorpius bounced on his heels and let out another short squeak sound. 

 

“Precisely! Although that’s a bit of an understatement, what she  _ actually _ did was start screaming and throwing anything she could get her hands on at him. First, it’s her bouquet, but then she shoves the altar over, cracking it clean in two and denting the floor, look, you can still see it, right here!”

 

Albus followed Scorpius to where he had practically skipped across the room and was pointing at an impressive dent in the intricately patterned flooring. 

 

“The screaming is replaced by a steady stream of abuse and insults, until, in a fit of hysterics, she launches herself at him! Her hands are around his throat and he’s trying to throw her off but she’s stronger than she looks-”

 

“She strangled him with her bare hands?”

 

“She tried to! But the groomsmen stepped in and managed to pull her away, screeching and scratching any skin she could reach. Apparently it was terrifying!”

 

“That’s a whole new level of crazy bride…”

 

“The woman was totally insane! Barking mad! But that’s not even the end of the story!”

 

Scorpius was only getting more animated; his speech becoming faster and faster as he reached the climax of the story. Albus’ whole awareness had become centred on the story and the boy telling it, everything else had long since faded into a background blur. 

 

“Draco’s father then stands up, and orders him to go through with the wedding, or he will be completely disowned  _ and _ disinherited!”

 

“He what? Why would he want that?”

 

“Because the marriage was about political gain, not his son’s happiness. Draco is about to tell his father that he’d rather be disinherited than murdered in his sleep, when his mother stands up and tells his father that if he forces their son to marry this woman, then she will be divorcing him!”

 

Scorpius delivered the final line with even more flourish, as if the story had been concluded, rather than left completely open-ended. 

 

“What does his father do then?”

 

“Oh! He storms off and his wife follows! The groomsmen decide they’ve had enough of trying not to get their eyes gouged out by the bride, so they escort her away. Draco tells the remaining guests that there’s no point wasting the food, so they proceed to the banquet, and because a lot of guests have left in shocked horror, he invites the staff to dine with them, too. You can just imagine his father’s horror when he finds that out!” Scorpius let out a half-laugh, half-squeak and bounced on the balls of his feet.

 

“After the meal, they still hold the ball, and Draco ends up dancing with a beautiful woman with kind eyes and a nice smile. They fall in love, he marries her despite his father’s objections, and he still inherits the title and the estate and everything.”

 

Albus found himself smiling, and was pleased when Scorpius’ face reflected this with a smile of his own. 

 

“So... Draco ended up marrying for love?”

 

“Yes, he-”

 

Scorpius was cut off by the sound of Albus’ name being called. Albus winced as his mum approached.

 

“Albus! There you are! I really thought you were more mature than this, deliberately hiding-”

 

Lily chose that moment to bound over to them, which was fairly lucky, because Albus could feel his face beginning to flush in reaction to his hideously unsubtle mother. 

 

Unfortunately, it seemed his sister had inherited the ridiculously humiliating gene. Lily took one look at Scorpius and gasped. 

 

“You’re Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, son of the current Lord Malfoy!”

 

“Erm. Yep. That’s me. Hi.”

 

Scorpius, who looked even cuter with a light blush, gave her an awkward wave.

 

“Can I get a selfie?”

 

“Lily! Stop harassing him! I’m sorry Scorpius, you really don’t have to-”

 

“It’s OK, Albus. Of course we can take a selfie, Lily!”

 

Albus tried not to cringe so hard that he actually died while they took the photo. 

 

Once Lily had declared the picture “totes insta-worthy”, Albus’ mum turned to them.

 

“We were just headed to the tearoom for some cake. Would you like to join us, Scorpius?”

 

“Oh! That’s terribly kind of you! I’m afraid I have to decline though, Mrs Higgins is working there today and if she sees me, she’ll want to tell me all about her grandchildren, again, and I won’t be able to escape for at least two hours.”

 

Albus’ heart sank, even as his mum laughed. He turned to her with his best scowl. 

 

“Mum, I’m not hungry, I don’t want cake. Scorpius was telling me about history before you lot interrupted.”

 

Albus’ dad found them just in time to hear this, and proved that it wasn’t just the women of the family determined to embarrass Albus. 

 

“Albus? Not wanting cake and liking history? Did I get lost and end up in an alternative universe?”

 

Albus gave his dad a look.

 

“Ha. Good one Dad, you’re hilarious,  _ not _ !”

 

“Wait, Albus, did I genuinely convince you that history isn’t boring?”

 

Scorpius was looking at him with that hopeful, eager expression again, and Albus felt obliged to tell the truth. His family would never let him hear the end of this, especially as he could still feel the heat in his cheeks. 

 

“Yeah, you did, I, um, I really enjoyed that story. Do you have any more?”

 

Scorpius’ entire being brightened, his smile filling his whole face, and Albus’ heart felt like it was about to beat its way out of his chest 

 

“Yes! Of course! I’d love to tell you them! Have you heard about the secret passage?”

 

Albus’ mum cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows at her son. 

 

“Seeing as you don’t seem desperate to leave anymore, how about we just give you a text when we’re about to leave?”

 

“Seriously? You’d allow that?”

 

“Yes, Albus. Contrary to what you might think, we do actually want you to be happy. So we’ll see you in a bit?”

 

“Yeah, thanks!”

 

When Albus’ family had left, he turned to Scorpius.

“God, I’m so sorry about them. They’re so embarrassing, especially Lily, I can’t believe she asked you for a selfie.”

 

“No! Don’t apologise, I liked them! And I thought Lily was cute.”

 

It was as if all the blood in Albus’ body had turned to ice. He grit his teeth aggressively. 

 

“She’s thirteen.”

 

Scorpius looked confused for a moment, before it was quickly replaced by horror. 

 

“Oh! No! I meant cute, awww how sweet, not cute like how you’re cute. Wait. No. I wasn’t supposed to say that. Crap, the Buzzfeed quiz was right, I am a gay disaster. I’ll just shut up now, I’m very sorry, I hope I haven’t made you feel uncomfortable.” 

 

It took a moment for Scorpius’ hyperspeed speech to sink in, but Albus felt the corners of his mouth creeping upwards as he understood. 

 

“You think I’m cute?” 

 

Scorpius groaned and covered his face with his hands. 

 

“I’m so sorry, apparently I lose all mental capacity when face to face with a guy as ridiculously attractive as you are. Like I said, gay disaster.”

 

Albus gently reached up and pulled Scorpius’ hands away from his face, keeping them awkwardly in his own as he tried to form a coherent reply. 

 

“I don’t mind you being a gay disaster. I’m kind of one myself. Maybe we can be gay disasters together?”

 

Scorpius’ eyes searched Albus’ face. He had to strain his ears to hear the whispered response. 

 

“Really? You’re-you’re not winding me up? Wait. I think I may have misunderstood. You couldn’t possibly have meant we should go-go out together, I mean, look at you. You just meant we should be friends, didn’t you?”

 

“Erm. Well, I meant... I think you’re really fit! Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that so loudly. I don’t want to be friends. No! I do want to be friends. But um, I also like you… And I really liked it when you called me cute and ridiculously attractive.” 

 

As Albus went on, Scorpius’ face became less and less nervous and more shyly optimistic. They shared tentative, bashful smiles for a second, before Scorpius spoke again. 

 

“Do you want to see my absolute favourite part of the Manor?”

 

“Are you going to give me another performance about something that happened in the past?”

 

“If you want! It’s not in the public bit of the house though, is that OK?”

 

“That would make Lily jealous, so absolutely, lead the way!”

 

Scorpius’ beamed, then hesitated for a long moment before grabbing Albus’ hand and pulling him out of the ballroom and up a set of stairs. They weaved through majestically decorated rooms, up staircases and along corridors; Scorpius occasionally calling out a greeting to the staff dotted around the house. 

 

Eventually, they reached a large door marked “Private”, and Scorpius turned to grin at Albus, before pushing it open and dragging him through. The furniture was a lot more understated and modern back here, and there were photos rather than painted canvases lining the walls, but the decor still appeared to date from previous centuries. 

 

“This is where we actually live,” Scorpius explained, before raising his voice to call down the corridor. 

 

“I’m just showing a friend the balcony, OK?”

 

“You have a friend?”

 

“Yes, Dad! That’s what I just said! And no, you can’t come with us.”

 

“Awww, you’re no fun!”

 

“Bye Dad!”

 

Scorpius rolled his eyes at Albus. 

 

“Honestly, your family were nothing compared to mine, I’m sorry about him. Come on, it’s just up here.”

 

Scorpius pushed open a door to reveal a dark staircase. He flicked on the light and finally let go of Albus’ hand to lead the way up the narrow flight of steps. 

 

“I’m sorry it’s so cramped, this used to be the servants access, the original entrance is part of the public area now, but they don’t know about this hidden gem, tucked around the side.”

 

Daylight flooded in when the door opened, and Scorpius beamed at Albus. They stepped out onto a wide stone balcony, right at the top of the mansion. 

 

The view from so high up was incredibly impressive, you could see miles and miles of the Wiltshire countryside, dotted with tiny towns and minuscule church spires. Albus returned Scorpius’ smile, and he didn’t know if it was how high up they were, or something else, but he felt like he was flying. 

 

Albus leant against the intricately carved limestone railing and put one hand on his heart, the other gesturing out to the fields around them. 

 

“Romeo, oh Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo!”

 

Scorpius laughed and came to stand beside him.

“Oh, so you like Shakespeare but not history? I’m offended.”

 

“Maybe I just have a thing for guys wearing tights.”

 

“I could wear tights.”

 

Albus blinked in shock. Had Scorpius just flirted with him? Was this giddy lightness what it felt like when somebody flirted with you? He tried his best to gather his wits enough to respond without making a total tit of himself. 

 

“You’d make an amazing Romeo.”

 

“Who says I’d be Romeo, why not Juliette? Why not both?”

 

“I mean, you pretty much nailed the one man show earlier, so that could work.”

 

“I think I’d prefer to be in a double act, though.”

 

“Do I get to play your love interest?”

 

“Yes, I… I would like that.” 

 

They had been getting closer and closer to each other as they spoke, giving Albus the confidence to reach out and gently place his hand on Scorpius’ hip, subtly twisting their bodies so they were directly facing each other. 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“No one can see us up here, can they?”

 

“No, it’s completely private.”

 

Albus leaned in, pausing when their faces were mere inches apart.

 

“Good, because I sort of want to, um. Can I kiss you?”

 

Scorpius closed the distance between them by way of an answer, their lips colliding for a split-second before their foreheads bumped and Scorpius giggled. Albus tilted his head back slightly and to the side, like he had seen in the romcoms he told Lily he hated, and then they were properly kissing. 

 

Albus had never kissed anyone before, but he couldn’t imagine any other pair of lips being nicer than the soft ones currently moving gently against his own. It felt more intimate than anything he had ever experienced - an overwhelming feeling he couldn’t yet place. It was evoking something from deep within him, an intense need and desire he’d never felt before. A strong arm draped across his shoulders, and a hand buried itself in his hair. Only then did he realise his own arms were wrapped tightly around Scorpius, pulling their bodies impossibly closer, his body instinctively trying to rid all distance from between them. 

 

After what simultaneously felt like an age and not anywhere near enough time, Scorpius pulled away and rested his forehead against Albus’, softly panting as he tried to get his breath back. 

 

“Wow. That… I liked that.”

 

Albus felt a wave of relief that he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

 

“Yeah. Me too. I… I’ve never done that before.”

 

“Really? But you were so good at it! I hadn’t either, but then I’m the strange kid from the house that’s open to visitors, so-”

 

Albus stopped Scorpius from talking by leaning in for another kiss. The rambling was adorable and endearing, but listening to it paled in comparison to the way kissing felt. When they pulled away again, Scorpius was smiling. 

 

“Did you really want to hear more history? Or were you just saying that because you wanted to-” Scorpius let out a giggle and turned a deep shade of pink. “... _ kiss me _ !”

 

“Honestly, I could listen to you talk for days, and I liked how you flung your arms around and got all worked up about history, so yeah, I do. The kissing was just an unexpected bonus. Did you say there was a hidden passage somewhere?”

 

“Yes! I’ll show it to you, it’s actually got the coolest story…”

 

As they made their way back down the stairs, Scorpius babbled enthusiastically about the Second World War and how the Manor had been used as a hospital for wounded soldiers. When Scorpius opened the door, his animated speech cut off sharply and he stopped so suddenly that Albus crashed into the back of him, sending them both flying. 

 

From his dignified position sprawled on top of Scorpius on the floor, Albus looked up to find an immaculately dressed couple staring down at them in shock. The teenagers eased their way up to standing, their faces matching shades of beetroot red. Scorpius was looking down and chewing his lips, which Albus noted were still slightly swollen from their kissing. 

 

“Scorpius? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

 

“Oh, yes, yep, of course. Mum, Dad, this is Albus. Albus, this is Mum and Dad.”

 

“You can call us Draco and Astoria.”

 

Albus’ eyes widened. 

 

“Like from the story? Scorpius! You said that was history, it doesn’t count as historical if it’s your  _ parents _ !”

 

“Yes it does, anything that happened in the past counts as history! Everything is history! Five minutes ago is history!”

 

Albus made the mistake of making eye contact with Scorpius then, and had to stifle the giggle that wanted to erupt at the memory of what they’d been doing five minutes ago. 

 

Draco coughed significantly, though Astoria looked more bemused than anything. 

 

“Ok, yep, so I was just going to show Albus the secret passagewa-”

 

“Scorpius. I assumed when you said you had a friend that it would be Peggy’s niece, the one she said wanted to look at the architecture. How did you meet Albus? Why haven’t we heard you talk about him before?”

 

Albus squirmed, both out of awkwardness and in sympathy with poor Scorpius, who was clearly struggling with the interrogation. He found himself answering the question, even though it had obviously not been directed at him. 

 

“We met in the ballroom. I’m here with my family, and Scorpius saw me looking bored, so he told me about the Manor’s history.”

 

“You’re a visitor? And Scorpius approached you and actually spoke to you? Without you talking to him first? Seriously?”

 

“Draco! Stop winding the poor children up. Albus, it’s lovely to meet you. Please ignore my husband, he seems to have forgotten his manners. Have a lovely time, boys. Scorpius, remember it’s your turn to cook supper so don’t be too long.”

 

“Yes, Mum, I know! Come on, Albus.”

 

“Bye Mr and Mrs, or is it Lord and Lady Malfoy? Anyway, nice to meet you!”

 

As they emerged back into the public part of the house, Scorpius let out a strangled sound and threw his head onto Albus’ shoulder. 

 

“I can only apologise for my Dad. He’s… eurgh. He always wants to know about every single thing in my life right as it happens. Apparently I’m not allowed to have a friend unless he knows your name, age, star sign and blood group!”

 

“Oh. So, I’m your friend. OK. That’s OK. I thought – but no. That’s OK. We–  we can be friends.”

 

“What? I thought we agreed… we kissed! Friends don’t kiss, do they?”

 

“You just called me your friend.”

 

“Oh! I just meant that’s what my Dad thinks. I still want um, more? Like kissing. If that’s ok?”

 

“Yeah… that’s ok.”

 

They shared a shy smile that felt like it said more than their words ever could. As they started walking again, Albus began to talk, hoping he wasn’t crossing some invisible line with his question. 

 

“So, your parents don’t know?”

 

“That I’m a gay disaster? No, but I think they suspect. I don’t imagine they’d mind that much, but it’s still an almightily awkward conversation, and you saw how my Dad can be, he doesn’t realise how intense he is sometimes…”

 

“At least he cares. I have two siblings and I swear that no matter what I do, my parents will always think whatever James and Lily do is better.”

 

“I’m sure that’s not true! You seem… honest, and you stuck up for me and answered my Dad when he was being…” Scorpius waved his arms around vaguely. “That takes guts, and I respect that.”

 

Albus snorted.

 

“I don’t even have enough guts to tell my family that I’m different in yet  _ another _ way, even though I know they wouldn’t care, like they always say ‘we don’t mind who you love, so long as you come home regularly, and they don’t support Chelsea’. Have I mentioned that my family are oddly obsessed with football?” 

 

Their conversation moved to lighter topics as they continued to make their way through the historical house. When they reached a room with what looked like a large, blank stone wall at the opposite end, Scorpius squealed and turned to Albus with a look of great excitement.

 

“There it is! The secret passageway!”

 

He then pulled Albus by the hand, towards the still very solid looking wall. As they drew nearer, Albus began to understand. One section of the wall was stuck out from the rest, the bricks carefully lining up like a puzzle so the section could, presumably, be slotted back in to hide the half metre gap that was currently visible. They entered the small passageway, and Scorpius began to emphatically recount a tale from the past. 

 

“My great-grandmother, Berylina, had just married my great-grandfather, Abraxas, anticipating a life of luxury, when war broke out for a second time.”

 

Scorpius’ dramatically stressed the word  _ war _ , and Albus suppressed a smile at how incredibly immersed in storytelling Scorpius had already become. 

 

“As rationing kicked in and her new home was filled with dirty, smelly, and sometimes bleeding soldiers, Berylina became increasingly discontent with the lack of extravagance. She had expensive taste and was hungry for more. She began to use the passageway to meet with American soldiers, exchanging ugly-” Scorpius made air quotes with his fingers. “-Malfoy heirlooms for foreign sweets and treats.”

 

“Now, as you can imagine, Abraxas went totally loopy when he found out his new wife had been secretly meeting with men in a hidden passageway. They say he bellowed at her for a full hour, loudly enough that the entire house could hear, and then he locked her in the passageway for an entire week!”

 

“He what? How did she even survive? Didn’t she die of thirst?”

 

“Oh, well,  _ he _ thought she was locked in, but the nurses all knew, and though they didn’t like her, they couldn’t stand by while a woman was abused! They let her out at night and made sure she had food and water.”

 

Scorpius was still looking entirely too excited about his ancestors’ dirty laundry. 

 

“After locking up his wife, Abraxas confronted the soldiers. He ordered them to return his stolen property, but the soldiers refused, claiming they had made a fair exchange with his wife. This enraged Abraxas - the antiques belonged to him, not Berylina! Despite his fierce protests, he was outnumbered in the massive argument that broke out, and was eventually forced to pay the soldiers to get the Malfoy heirlooms back.” 

 

Scorpius looked scandalised, and Albus felt his level of affection for this ridiculous dork rise even higher. 

 

“Your family certainly know how to be dramatic!”

 

“Oh, but there’s more! Not long after the war ended, Abraxas mysteriously vanished. Berylina took down all portraits of her husband, and she finally got the exuberant lifestyle she had wanted from the start. No one knows what happened to Abraxas; to this day that question lies unanswered, but we can speculate…” 

 

Scorpius ended the story with a flourish of suspense and mystery, blushing intensely when applause broke out. Albus quickly joined in with the visitors; he had been so absorbed in Scorpius that he hadn’t noticed the small crowd gathered around them, and by the expression of happy surprise on his face, neither had Scorpius. 

 

Albus found Scorpius easier to talk to than anyone he had ever known, and their conversation flowed from one topic to another as if they had known each other forever. They casually strolled through the Manor, and Albus felt like he was basking in Scorpius’ presence like a cat in the sunshine. He almost jumped in shock when his phone rang, rudely reminding him that a world existed outside of Scorpius. 

 

“Albus! Where are you? We’ve tried to be nice, we assumed when you ignored the first message that you must be enjoying your time with your new friend, so we let you have a little longer, but then you ignored the second and third messages. We have to leave now, or we’ll be late to pick up James.” 

 

Albus grimaced and held the phone away from his ear as his mother ranted at him. Scorpius looked slightly awkward, shifting from foot to foot and avoiding eye contact. Albus tried to reassure him by rolling his eyes and gesturing to the phone, but he only gained a weak smile in return. 

 

“I’m sorry Mum, my phone was in my pocket and I didn’t see your messages. Yes, ok, fine, I’m coming now. I’ll meet you by the car, alright?”

 

As soon as Albus had ended the call, Scorpius began to speak in a rush.

 

“I’m so sorry I got you into trouble. I didn’t mean to. I should have thought about how long it’s been and-”

 

“Scorpius, chill, it’s all good! That wasn’t even my Mum being mad, that was like a two on the scale of my Mum’s annoyance, you should see an eight if you want mad! I do have to go now though, my stupid brother needs picking up from his stupid football practice.”

 

“Is it stupid, by any chance?”

 

“Yes, it is! Welcome to my stupid life.”

 

Both of them were silent as they weaved their way back through the grandiose corridors. Albus tried to think of a way to express the mass of emotions colliding in his mind. It felt like they were balancing on the edge of a cliff, the moment charged, neither of them knowing whether an ending or a beginning was coming next, both of them tentatively hoping they would see the other again, but uncertain whether that would happen, or whether this afternoon would become a memory that faded like a dream. 

 

They reached what Albus recognised as the entrance far sooner than he had expected, and certainly before he had found the words he needed to say. His heart ached at the thought of saying goodbye, mixing horribly with the wave of nausea the idea brought on. His eyes caught a flash of his sister’s bright ginger hair, and he knew he had to get going. They stared at each other for an awkward, heavy moment. Not knowing how to say goodbye to Scorpius and end what felt like the best time of his life, Albus regretfully mumbled some incomprehensible words, then turned to leave, fighting the humiliating tears that he could feel building. 

 

Scorpius grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Don’t you dare pull a Cinderella on me and leave without giving me your number! Unless you don’t want to give me your number. That would be OK. Well, I would I be devastated, but I’d understand.”

 

Any trace of tears were instantly forgotten. Albus’ face split involuntarily into a stupidly wide grin. He took Scorpius’ phone, created a new contact, labelled it ‘Cinderella ;)’ and added his number, before planting a kiss on Scorpius’ lips and running off to meet his family with a red face and an ecstatic, hopeful feeling.

 

-

 

**Bonus Scene**  courtesy of the INCREDIBLE  **BookofSpells!!!**

  
Harry sat in the driver’s seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as they waited for Albus to arrive. Through the rearview mirror, he could see Lily scrolling through her phone, presumably posting the pictures she’d taken to her Instant Snap page (or whatever it was called – Harry couldn’t be bothered to keep up.)

 

After a moment, Harry saw Albus bound through the entrance and sprint toward them. His hair was even more mussed than usual, and his face was bright red, but he was smiling. _Actually_ _smiling_ , in a way that Harry hadn’t seen him do in years.

 

He raised an eyebrow at Ginny, who winked back with an amused expression that left him feeling as though he’d missed something terribly obvious.

 

“Sorry mum,” Albus muttered as he clambered in next to his sister and buckled his seatbelt.

 

“That’s alright, son,” Ginny replied in a nonchalant tone that Harry recognised as her  _ ‘I’m-trying-to-probe-for-information-without-sounding-like-I’m-prying’ _ voice. “Did you have a good time? Scorpius seemed nice.”

 

“Er – yeah,” Albus said, the blush on his face growing even more pronounced. “He’s alright.”

 

“It’s great that you’ve made a…  _ friend _ .”

 

As he pulled out of the drive, Harry chanced another glance through the mirror and saw that Lily was shaking with silent giggles and Albus was staring dreamily out the window, completely ignoring her.  

 

And then it dawned on him… Albus had made a  _ friend _ .

 

Harry chuckled to himself. He got the feeling that they would all be seeing a lot more of Scorpius Malfoy. But he didn’t mind – not if it made Albus smile like that. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much I did writing it!  
> Shout out again to Bookofspells for all the help and the brilliant end scene!


End file.
